If you own a newer residence in Erie, it was in all likelihood constructed with energy efficiency at the top of the list. This means greater amounts of insulation and windows and doors with improved seals. While these improvements are great for keeping your heating and cooling expenses affordable, they’re not so great for your indoor air quality.
Your home comfort system needs to run with a filter. But if you have a flat filter, you won’t be getting adequate filtration. This type only gives the lowest level of protection by blocking dust from infiltrating your heating and cooling system.
While you can get a pleated filter or one with a increased MERV rating, it still might not be adequate filtration, especially if someone in your residence has allergies or other respiratory issues.
That’s where a whole-house air purifier can be a good option. These systems are placed within ductwork to provide effective filtration around your residence. Depending on the model you choose, you’ll be able to get rid of allergens, odors and even some viruses under certain airflow conditions.
Here are our top systems from Lennox, an industry leader in air purification.
Best Air Purifiers from Lennox
1. HEPA Air Purifiers
A HEPA air purifier, like the Healthy Climate® High-Efficiency Particulate Air Filtration System, delivers the best filtration. These filters were first developed to shield scientists as they developed the atomic bomb. Today, they’re necessary in hospitals and other medical applications.
The Healthy Climate HEPA Filtration System has a three-step filtration procedure. A prefilter attracts bigger pollutants before the HEPA filter captures the remainder of smaller irritants. Then, a charcoal filter takes care of odors and chemical vapors.
The PureAir™ S Air Purification System works with all HVAC brands and easily integrates with your smart home. It fights the three key types of indoor air contaminants:
- Airborne particles
- Chemical odors and vapors
- Germs and bacteria, under certain airflow conditions
This air purifier can eliminate 99.9%* of pollutants, like mold spores, pollen, dust and pet dander. It’s also potent at decreasing or eliminating 90%1 of flu and cold viruses under certain airflow conditions. And, according to laboratory and field studies, it removes and eradicates approximately 50% of residential odors and chemical vapors within 24 hours.
The PureAir S includes sensing features that make it easy to service. When paired with an iComfort® S30 smart thermostat, you’ll receive an alert to change the filter and UVA light.2 This home air purifier must be linked with communicating Lennox systems and the iComfort S30.
2. Media Air Cleaners
Lennox Healthy Climate® Media Air Cleaners are available in a variety of MERV ratings to work with your needs. This rating measures how capable filters are at trapping contaminants. The better the number, the finer the filtration.
The Healthy Climate Carbon Clean 16® Media Air Cleaner is great for households with allergy suffers and pets. This is a HEPA filter air purifier, as it has a MERV 16 rating for hospital-grade filtration. And it eliminates more than 95%3 of unhealthy particles from your house’s air.
The Healthy Climate 13 Media Air Cleaner is suggested for households who are looking for better protection from viruses and bacteria. This filter removes 99% of larger particles like dust, pollen and lint. And up to 54% of finer particles down to 0.3 microns.4
The Healthy Climate 11 Media Air Cleaner is a an excellent air purifier for allergies and in residences with pets. It removes more than 87% of bigger particles down to 3 microns and more than 28% of miniscule ones down to 0.3 microns.4 It’s able to provide this strong filtration without running up the cost of using your home comfort system.
These three media air cleaners can be used with any brand of HVAC system. However, it’s essential to realize that some of the more substantial ones, like MERV 16 and 13, may decrease your system’s airflow. This can increase your energy expenses.
3. UV Air Purifiers
The sun’s UV rays are the reason why you get a blistering sunburn. But this wavelength of light has a beneficial application when concealed within your ductwork. It’s also strong enough to reduce germs, mold and fungi under certain airflow conditions.
In actuality, the Healthy Climate UV Germicidal Light can decrease the amount of airborne microorganisms by 50% in as fast as 45 minutes.5 This light wrecks cell structure, which stops these microorganisms from flourishing and infiltrating throughout your house.
And this UV air purifier can also help keep your home comfort system clean and running like it should. It wipes out of germs, mold and fungi lurking in ductwork and your system itself. This UV light air purifier achieves all these tasks without making lung-aggravating ozone.6
Breathe Healthier Air with the Support of Our Air Purification Specialists
Your family’s comfort and health is important to us at Patterson & Stirling. We know there are many options out there. That’s why we make it simple to collaborate with our indoor air quality specialists. We specialize in creating solutions that match your needs and budget, and we’d love to hear more about your house and your air quality challenges. Reach us at 814-308-0416 right away to start the process.
1Based on laboratory and field studies.
2PureAir™ S requires the iComfort® S30 and a communicating indoor unit.
3Leading consumer magazine, January 2012. Based on the published CADR, which is the standardized measurement system to determine the cubic feet of clean air produced per minute. Particles captured range in size down to 0.3 micron. One micron = 1/25,000 of an inch in diameter.
4Based on lab tests conducted on filters with conditions included in ASHRAE standard 52.2 for E1 and E3 size ranges.
5Based on constant circulation of air in the home, 3,000-square-foot home with a 5-ton air handler.
6U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, “Ozone Generators that are Sold as Air Cleaners: An Assessment of Effective and Health Consequences,” August 2006.
